Disposable food and beverage container carriers are well known in the prior art. Such carriers are commonly used by spectators at media events like sporting events and musical concerts, to transport food and beverage containers obtained at concession stands to the spectator seating or viewing area. In addition, such carriers are also used to carry take-out food and beverage containers from fast food restaurants and delicatessens.
In order to make the use of these disposable food and beverage container carriers economically feasible, such carriers are typically manufactured from a single sheet of paper material, such as cardboard. The cardboard sheet is folded along an arrangement of predefined creases to assemble the carrier. A conventional food and beverage carrier A is shown in FIG. 1. The carrier A shown therein generally comprises a beverage container support tray B and a handle G. The container support tray B includes an upper wall C and a vertically spaced lower wall D. A plurality of circular-shaped apertures E and F are defined respectively in upper and lower walls C and D. The apertures E in the upper wall C are aligned directly over the apertures F in the lower wall D so that food and beverage containers and the like, can be placed therein and securely held in the carrier A without tilting or sliding around. The handle G extends from the outer surface of the upper wall C and includes a elongated finger opening H. The carrier A is manufactured from a single sheet of cardboard which is folded along creases I, J, K and L. The food and beverage carrier of FIG. 1 and other like carriers, all suffer from a significant drawback, namely that they are rather flimsy in construction. Consequently, when such carriers are fully loaded with filled food or beverage containers, the carriers tend to collapse, tear, or fall apart. On some occasions the fully loaded carrier will collapse, tear, or fall apart to such a degree as to allow one or more of the filled containers to fall through the container apertures of the carrier.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide an improved food and beverage container carrier which is more rigid and therefore, stronger than conventional prior art food and beverage container carriers, in order to insure that filled food or beverages containers can be transported without accidental spillage. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a food and beverage carrier having detachable coupon-like panels.